Leclerc Fastest in FP2 as Ferrari Lead the Way in Melbourne

Charles Leclerc - Photo by Ferrari S.p.A

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in the second free practice session at the Australian Grand Prix, setting a benchmark time of 1:16.439 around the Albert Park Circuit. The Monegasque driver edged out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by just 0.124s, with teammate Lando Norris close behind in third.

For Piastri, the strong result comes at his home race in Melbourne, and the young Australian was quietly confident about the McLaren’s potential.

“I’m pretty happy with today’s work. Things are going to be pretty different for the next two days, so how much today means, we don’t know,” he said after the session. Asked about his chances of victory, he remained cautious: “Hard to say what the weather is going to be. It’ll be pretty different on Sunday and it’s going to throw some spanners in the works—but I think the underlying pace of the car seems strong.”

Yuki Tsunoda continued his fine form in fourth for Racing Bulls, while Sir Lewis Hamilton improved to fifth for Ferrari, just 0.420s off his teammate’s pace.

Isack Hadjar placed sixth, ahead of reigning world champion Max Verstappen in seventh for Red Bull Racing. Nico Hülkenberg was eighth for Kick Sauber, with Lance Stroll and George Russell rounding out the top ten.

The session ran without any major disruptions, but Haas was notably absent from the action with Oliver Bearman failing to set a time. The team was unable to repair his car in time following his heavy crash in FP1, despite earlier hopes that he would be back on track.

Behind the frontrunners, Carlos Sainz continued to impress for Williams with a solid showing in 11th place. Whether that order remains heading into qualifying, however, remains to be seen. Reflecting on his team switch ahead of the weekend, Sainz said, “I’ve had an incredible few years with Ferrari, but I’m also really looking forward to this new challenge with Williams. It’s a different environment, but I’ve felt very welcomed and there’s a real sense of motivation here. We’ll take it one step at a time, but I’m excited to see what we can achieve this weekend and beyond.”

Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix 2025 – FP2 Classification

1  Charles Leclerc – Scuderia Ferrari HP – 1:16.439

2  Oscar Piastri – McLaren Formula 1 Team – +0.124

3  Lando Norris – McLaren Formula 1 Team – +0.141

4  Yuki Tsunoda – Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team – +0.345

5  Lewis Hamilton – Scuderia Ferrari HP – +0.420

6  Isack Hadjar – Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team – +0.580

7  Max Verstappen – Oracle Red Bull Racing – +0.624

8  Nico Hülkenberg – Kick Sauber F1 Team – +0.722

9  Lance Stroll – Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team – +0.840

10 George Russell – Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team – +0.843

11 Carlos Sainz – Atlassian Williams Racing – +0.863

12 Alexander Albon – Atlassian Williams Racing – +0.863

13 Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team – +0.891

14 Jack Doohan – BWT Alpine F1 Team – +0.955

15 Pierre Gasly – BWT Alpine F1 Team – +1.054

16 Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team – +1.195

17 Liam Lawson – Oracle Red Bull Racing – +1.201

18 Gabriel Bortoleto – Kick Sauber F1 Team – +1.408

19 Esteban Ocon – MoneyGram Haas F1 Team – +1.595

20 Oliver Bearman – MoneyGram Haas F1 Team – No Time

Leclerc Fastest in FP2 as Ferrari Lead the Way in Melbourne by Damian Hall